Posted on February 26, 2018
WAKEFIELD — On the first day back after a February vacation break, students at Wakefield Memorial High and the Woodville School were sheltered in place for a time yesterday morning after Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School was briefly locked down due to a social media post.
As television news crews and helicopters descended on the town, Wakefield Police set up a perimeter at the bottom of Hemlock Road. No one was allowed down from the vocational school or up to it during the lockdown.
With tensions heightened because of the recent murders of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, a vocational school student reported around 10:30 a.m. that she had seen a social media post that made threats against a school with a name similar to Northeast Metro. She brought her concerns to school administrators — just like students are advised to — and out of an abundance of caution, Northeast initiated its lockdown procedures and alerted Wakefield Police. The police, in turn, notified staff at nearby Wakefield Memorial High and Woodville School. The STARS school threat and safety program run by the Northeast Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council was activated, bringing highly trained and specialized officers from around the region to the vocational school.
It was quickly determined that the social media post observed by the student was actually referencing a school in Maryland. Wakefield Police contacted Maryland authorities about the threat.
Vocational school students were dismissed for the day shortly before 1 p.m., once a final determination was made that there was no danger.
“I want to emphasize that there is no threat and no danger to our school, but I am very proud that a student felt comfortable enough to bring her concerns forward and that the procedures we have in place worked as designed today, said Northeast Supt. David DiBarri.
Police Chief Rick Smith said, “While this is a false alarm for Northeast Metro, we are proud of the student of not hesitating — if you see something, say something. This was in fact a threatening post, and we are working with authorities in Maryland, sharing the information that we have.
“I am proud of everyone’s response today, and I want to thank the school faculty and staff as well as the students and parents for their cooperation during today’s police response,” Smith continued.
